Under the cold snow lies the blooming spring
by mori-girl
Summary: The Dark Lord's deepest secret has been revealed to Draco, and he has been given a new mission; to guard the Dark Lord's most precious treasure with his life. But will he be able to keep it safe, or rather - keep the treasure from stealing his heart, too?
1. The Secret is revealed

Chapter 1

The two cloaked and masked men stood in front of the desk, listening intently to every words being said and trying to memorize them, knowing that if they didn't they would be paying dearly.

The man behind the desk was leaning back in his chair, slowly stroking the head of a giant snake in his lap, earning satisfied hisses in exchange. It looked rather repulsing to the two other men, who felt the hair on the back of their necks rise from just being in the same room, but they knew better than to ever speak their thoughts out loud. After all, Nagini held a very dear place in the Dark Lord's heart.

The Dark Lords detailed description of next weeks Death Eater meeting was abruptly cut off by a very scared looking house elf.

"What is it?" The question came out as a very low hiss, and could have almost been mistaken for parseltongue.

"T-the young l-lady h-has a-a-arrived, s-sir" The elf said, too afraid to even look up from the floor. Barely had he finished when a loud "I'm home!" echoed trough the large castle. The eyes of the younger man widened in surprise and Nagini suddenly seemed wide awake compared to the dream like state she had been in before and was hissing excitedly.

The Dark Lord waved for the house elf to disappear, not even bothering with a punishment for being interrupted, and hissed something to the giant snake that seemed more than happy when she slithered across the room and out the door.

"She wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow…" He mumbled under his breath, mostly to himself, while he stood up from his comfortable chair. "We will continue this some other day." The two men bowed before they backed up a step and turned around to walk out the room.

The only way to enter and leave this castle was trough the big fireplace in the entrance hall, unless you we're one of the lucky two to have a port key, which they didn't.

As they we're nearing the entrance hall they heard Nagini's satisfied hissing.

"What _ever_ you see; bow, look away and pretend you haven't seen anything at all." The older man whispered to the younger, who was about to ask a question but the look he received silenced him.

As they rounded the corner they saw Nagini, half laying in the lap of a young girl, no older than seventeen, who was stroking her head just like the Dark Lord had done minutes earlier. As they came into view the girls eyes darted in their direction and the men instantly bowed and continued without a word towards the fireplace behind her. A low hiss escaped her lips, just in time for the two men to hear before the older one followed the younger as they Flooed away.

* * *

A house elf was standing in front of the fireplace, ready to collect the black robes of his masters who were supposed to arrive at any moment. The younger one arrived first, like always when they visited the Dark Lord, but this time he looked so bewildered he didn't even manage to insult the elf like he usually did.

His father followed him closely behind, his jaw tight and he too, was unusually quiet.

"Who…was that, father?"

"What you saw, Draco was not meant for your eyes. Forget it and never bring it up again." Lucius turned around and started walking towards the salon; he needed a drink after what had happened this afternoon. But his son was determined to get an answer to his question, and followed after him.

"Father!"

"It was the Dark Lord's daughter. And if you have an _ounce_ of self preservation in you, you wouldn't ask one more question."

"He has a _daughter_?"

Lucius hesitated in the very last moment and chose a bigger glass, which he filled to the brim before he lifted it to his lips and swallowed all of the burning liquid at once.

"Hmm. She's the Lord's best kept secret, a very few from the inner circle even know she exists. And it is obvious the Dark Lord intends for it to remain that way."

* * *

Nagini lazily turned her head towards the direction of the footsteps she was hearing as the girl stroked her head. Oh, how she loved to be stroked. She hissed in content.

"Eliana," the Dark Lord said in a rather unhappy tone, his lips pressed tightly against each other.

"Nice to see you too, father." Eliana answered, without looking up, enraging him further.

"You're a day early. You are making it very hard for me to keep your existence a secret if you can't even follow a simple schedule."

"I don't like Moscow, it's too cold at this time of the year. Besides, I missed my favorite snake in the world." She cooed the last bit, bending down to kiss the top of Nagini's head.

The Dark Lord pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry father, I didn't know it would cause trouble." The apology sounded sincere and he knew it was. No matter how much he hated to admit it, the Dark Lord could not stay angry with his daughter.

"Dinner will be served soon, you can tell me all about this semester at Durmstrang then-"

"I can tell you about it right now," she cute him off "it's _miserable._" It really did sound miserable judging just by the way she practically spit the word out.

"At dinner, Eliana. I have some work to finish."

* * *

The long table was set for two, with silver plates and expensive crystal. It was a rather unusual sight and something the elves were ordered to do only when the Lord's daughter was home from school, which wasn't too often.

The mouth-watering aroma from the three-course dinner, that was waiting to be served, filled the whole floor and hurried Eliana's steps. Her father was already seated and waited for her presence before he signaled the elves to serve soup.

"You ordered them to prepare my favorite again." The girl stated as she picked one of the spoons around her plate.

"I hope it still is your favorite."

"It's all right." The dinner continued in an awkward silence, like it did every year, and the elves served the two silent humans their main course and then the sweet dessert.

"How is school? Are you getting good grades?"

"I already told you, it's miserable. Please don't make me go back, or at least let me take Nagini with me!" The girl pleaded, knowing she had a limited amount of time for her yearly campaign before winter break would be over.

"We have been over thi-"

"You have no idea what it's like. The teachers are terrified of me, the student's all whisper behind my back about the possible causes for the teacher's behavior and no one will talk to me and I have to wear the stupid glamour every day!" She hit her fist in the table as if to emphasize what she had just said, turning over her own glass in the process.

"Sit down. It's all for your own good, and you know it. I'll talk to your headmaster about how the other kid's are tre-"

"-treating me and force them to be my friends? What is this, kindergarten? It won't solve the problem; it will only make it worse. I don't wanna be the bullied kid who only has friends because they're threatened into it!"

"I'll buy you a pet." Eliana gave her father an are-you-serious-look before she walked out of the dinning room, shaking with furry. Her father on the other hand couldn't help but to smile just a little bit, his daughter lacked humor sometimes. But his daughter was unhappy and he would have to come up with a solution.


	2. A walk in the castle

The Dark Lord walked up the side stairs to his daughter's quarters after dinner, hoping she was in a better mood. Her tricks had worked on him, like they did every time, and he had finally caved in. He had already come up with a plan and had sent one of his owls out with a letter to one of his subordinates to hammer out the details.

There was a silent knock on the door to Eliana's room but the door swung open without her permission. She heard Nagini slither in, but her father remained at the door.

"There will be a dinner party on Sunday, only the inner circle. If you don't have anything to wear I will find someone to go shopping with you to Diagon Alley."

The girl, who was sitting with her back against the door facing the arm fire, clenched her fists and jaw in furry; it was so typical of him to decide everything for her without asking her at all! She heard the door close and Nagini slithered up on the couch next to her, worried about her mistress looking so unhappy.

"I _hate _that school. I _hate_ dinner parties. I_ hate_ that I never have a say in anything." The girl spit out in parseltongue. The giant snake rose up to her neck and laid her head on the girl's shoulder and tried to comfort her with the closest she came to a hug.

* * *

"This way, my lady, if you will. There is a very good shop which I'm sure will have a dress to your liking." The honey coated voice of the woman annoyed Eliana to no end as they made their way down Diagon Alley.

They had visited four stores already but Eliana hadn't seen a single dress she liked, unlike the two women accompanying her who seemed to fall in love with the ugliest dresses in every store. She made a mental note to remind her father _not _to assign tasks of fashionable nature to old hags with no sense of fashion.

The bell rang as they entered the fifth, and hopefully the last, store of the day. The read headed woman immediately went to the woman at the register while the other one was stacking up a pile of dresses to be fitted in front of the dressing room.

"-it's for a dinner party, a very important dinner party." The red head proudly said to the woman, who seemed to be the owner of the store.

Thirty minutes and seven dresses later the owner of the store excused herself and disappeared into the backroom of the store, only to return a minute later with an almost perfect dress. Eliana gladly tried it on, admiring herself in the big mirrors. It was a pale pink color that complimented her skin and the dress accentuated the curves on her body. The only problem was the cheap crystals that had been used as decoration.

Eliana looked into the mirror while imagining princess cut clear diamonds in her head and as she heard gasps from behind her she smirked. Wandless magic came to her as naturally as parseltongue and she admired the now perfect pink dress, decorated with real diamonds.

"I'll take it." The two women, whose names Eliana hadn't even bothered to remember, looked less than pleased. They had wanted the honor of choosing the dress she would be wearing so they'd be able to brag about it later, but knew better than to criticize the dress chosen by the Dark Lord's daughter.

Relieved over the fact that it was finally over, the girl asked her "shopping company" to take her back home. She was annoyed, and rather embarrassed, that her father thought it necessary she was guarded, or rather babysat, whenever she was out of the castle.

* * *

She handed the house elf waiting for her the paper bag containing her dress and shoes, barely acknowledging the deep bow the two women performed before they disappeared back into the green fire. She was exhausted and annoyed and needed some time to cool off.

What she would have liked to do was take a walk in the beautiful gardens surrounding the castle, but there was a snowstorm raging outside, making it impossible for anyone to enjoy a nice walk.

Instead she settled for a walk inside the castle. She let her feet guide her down familiar and unfamiliar hallways, peeking into rooms now and then. She found three more libraries she didn't know excited and a pool table. She had no idea her father kept something so muggleish in the castle, even though she didn't mind, pool was actually rather fun.

She was looking out the windows covering one wall of the hallway when she heard her fathers voice and with a startle she realized she was in the only part of the castle she wasn't allowed to visit without asking - the reason being she could run into Death Eaters who were unaware of her existence.

Of course accidents had happened before, it's not that easy to keep something hidden, but they had always been obliviated. However, obliviating people over and over again had proven to have its consequences.

"-move to Hogwarts." It was her fathers voice again, coming from his office. She slowly tip toed to the door, which had been left slightly open and listened to the conversation.

"But my Lord, that would be very dangerous concerning her saf-" the unfamiliar voice was cut off mid sentence.

"Don't you think I know that, Severus!" The Dark Lord hissed, " She's unhappy with Durmstrang and other schools are not an option. They're either too liberal or too uncontrollable. She will start attending Hogwarts once the semester begins and Eliana, what have I told you about eavesdropping?"  
She was startled and her initial reaction was to run away. It would be no good though, and she soon appeared around the corner, looking at her father sitting behind his desk. A man in dark robes, not the ones of a Death Eater though, was standing in front of the desk.

"Eliana, this is your new headmaster. Please don't pull any tricks on him like you did with you last one in Durmstrang." At the mentioning of tricks the man, who also had black hair, threw a quick look at his new student over his shoulder.

"Thank you Severus, this will be all." The man bowed to her father before he turned around and walked out the room, his robes flying behind him rather dramatically.

"Sit." The Dark Lord instructed and pointed at the rarely used chairs in front of his desk, nobody ever dared to sit in them. "Now, what have I said about eavesdropping? Or walking in this hallway without my permission?"

"Don't do it?" Her father had moved around the desk and was sitting on the edge of it, looking at his clearly confused daughter, he couldn't help but sigh.

"It will be risky, so you will have a guard with you at all time-"

"What's the point in me changing school if I'm going to end up being treated the same way as I am in Durmstrang?"

"The point is, and don't interrupt me again, you will be introduced as Eliana Winther and treated just like anyone else, beside the guard. The only other person aware of your true identity will be Snape and you won't have to wear a glamour either."

"No glamour? And I get to use mom's last name? Why?"

"Don't make me admit Durmstrang might have not been the best idea, as you expressed at the time – even calling me an overprotective fool…" he muttered the last part under his breath "but I hate seeing my only daughter unhappy-"

"Miserable"

"-miserable, and failing potions class. I will let you attend Hogwarts under a false name and guarded, and what you chose to do from there is solely up to you."

"It's not a false name. And what do you mean 'don't make me admit'? You just did!" Her father ruffled her hair despite her protest and called for tea, and two porcelain cups immediately appeared on his desk.

"Who will be my guard? Please don't say it's Mr. Farhill, I can't stand him!"

"Mr. Farhill is no longer in my service. As for your guard, there is someone I have in mind." Her father seemed to trail off from that though, his forehead creasing and his eyes calculating.

"What happened to Mr. Farhill?"

"A rather unfortunate accident, drink your tea before it gets cold."

"Who do you have in mind then? Have I met the person?" She brought the cup up to her lips, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla tea.

"He walked past you, in the entrance hall when you arrived this week. He's the son of Lucius Malfoy, Draco. Very trustworthy, and very talented with spells."

"Oh, _him. _You should have seen his face when he heard me talk to Nagini. Thought I didn't see but the marble is always so very well polished it's like having eyes on the back of your neck. Nagini found it very funny too."

"Don't deliberately blow your cover, you know I can't obliviated every single minion I have. I would have obliviated him too hadn't I needed somebody to guard you. He fits perfectly for the job since you will be assigned to Slytherin without a doubt. Should there ever be an emergency he knows those dungeons and the rest of the castle like the back of his hand. The headmaster is also his godfather so your identity will be kept in a very small circle-"

"Dad, I don't really care. And in all the years I have attended school never once has there been what you call an emergency. It's not like it's gonna happen in Hogwarts, especially since only two people instead of the whole teaching staff know my true identity. Is he good at potions?" Eliana couldn't help but smile. Her guards were always so terrified of her they followed her every order, even doing her homework for her. Which explained why she was failing potions, she always let Mr. Farhill do all her assignments.

"He will be given strict orders to _not_ do your homework for you, and before the thought even occurs in your mind; I will make sure he fears _angering me_, more than _you_."

"Not fair, I hate potions. I don't understand a thing!"

"If you need a tutor I have no problem arranging one…" The suggestion didn't seem to welcome as his daughter pretended to hang herself on a rope.

* * *

A/N: hi! i'm one of those people who believe authors note's should not exist because everything you want to say should be incorporated into the story, however, some things simply don't have a place in the plot. like the appearance of eliana's father for example; he does not look like the scary half monster from the movie, blame this on the author of the black bunny, after reading that story i can no longer imagine voldemort as anything but an older version of a very good looking hogwarts student from the second movie. hope that cleared up some of the confusion ^^


	3. Like a sparkling diamond

Nagini was lying on the carpet in front of the fire, listening to the wood crack from the immense heat while her mistress was sitting at her dressing table. Two house elves were balancing on the edge on either side of the chair she was using and doing her hair.

Her eyes were unfocused as she looked into the mirror and a deep sigh escaped her glossed lips.

She was rarely forced to attend her father's parties since not many knew of her existence, and she felt grateful for that at least, but still she couldn't help but sulk. Tonight's party was inner _inner_ circle only, a mere handful of Death Eaters, some accompanied by their spouse, were invited and the event would take the form of a formal dinner, followed by some brainless mingling after wards.

Eliana could think of nothing more boring than having to listen to middle aged witches explain exactly how pure their family trees were. And the worst part was that the mother's of sons never seemed to forget to put in a good word for them and to emphasize none existent common hobbies or traits. Like she would ever marry one of her fathers brainless minions!

A pull on her head snapped her back to reality and she saw one of the house elves struggling with her curls. She quickly pulled the roller out of her hands and undid the lock herself, not wanting the elf to pull her already so hard to curl hair straight. She threw a look in the mirror, making sure her hair looked presentable just as there was a knock on the door.

Her father didn't wait for an answer, like usual, and swung it open, almost smashing a house elf between it and the wall.

"Are you ready, Eli? Everyone has arrived." His daughter rose from her seat, throwing a jealous look at Nagini who was happily warming herself by the fire and nodded. The faster it started the faster it would end.

The Dark couldn't help but notice the diamonds sparkling on his daughters dress.

"I see you've been practising some wandless magic again." He stated. "You know those diamonds have to come from somewhere, they don't just appear."

"I know father. I was concentrating really hard on the diamond necklace that that stuck up witch was wearing one time. I hope she has a pleasurable surprise next time she opens her jewelery box."

The Dark Lord frowned and turned on his heel. As he left his daughter's room he made a mental note to have a talk with his daughter after the party and to give specific instructions to her new guard not to under any circumstances let males close to his daughter, realizing with a pang in his heart that she was no longer his little girl but a very beautiful woman who was sure to capture they eye of every man at tonight's party. She was taking after her mother.

"Please father, make this a quick one." His daughter whispered to him, in parseltongue in case somebody heard them, as she caught up to him and accepted the arm he offered her.

"I will do my best."

They began their long descending down the elaborately decorated marble stairs and a blush rose to Eliana's cheeks as the quiet murmur bellow turned into a deadly silence. All eyes were fixed on her even as the crowd bowed deeply and she could practically _feel_ the marriage plots inside every mother and father's head take life again.

The last time she had appeared out in "public" was four years ago when she had just begun to look like a woman. Every woman at that party had measured her with their eyes, no doubt gossiping about it later. And she could feel the same thing happening all over again.

To the left of the stairs, standing behind his parents, Draco was doing his best not to right out stare at the beauty slowly walking down the stairs. He couldn't tear his eyes of the slender yet curved girl dressed in a powder pink dress decorated with what seemed to be real diamonds. Her long hair fell in soft curls down her back, almost reaching her waist and her hazel eyes…

Draco was embarrassed to catch himself hoping he would be seated next to her at the dinner, yet couldn't understand what the feeling he got was when he realized something like that was unlikely to ever happen; no matter how pure-blood he was he was still miles bellow the social status the Dark Lord's daughter held.

He suddenly noticed the firm hand of his mother on his arm as she guided him towards the dinning room, giving him a stern look - if it weren't for her he'd probably still be standing there staring at the Dark Lords daughter. He had to pull himself together and concentrate or his short career as a Death Eater would have an even shorter end. The shortest one would be in form of an Avada Kedavra once the Dark Lord would catch him staring at his daughter.

Draco swallowed the thick lump that had formed in his throat and sat down on his mother's left side, greatly disappointed to find the girl sitting higher up at the table, out of his reach.

The Dark Lord held a short speech, mentioning the success of yet another attack and mentioning some of the inner circle members who had contributed to it by name, a huge honor.

As the food was being served and eaten and conversations were held, Draco couldn't help but notice how unhappy the girl looked. She moved her food around the plate, barely eating one bite during the whole meal and seemed annoyed every time her neighbors tried to start a conversation with her. Which he couldn't blame her for, they were two bald men, the other uglier than the other, obviously spellbound by her beauty.

"Don't stare, Draco" His mother whispered in a barely audible voice and yet, out of the corned of his eye, he saw the girl's head slightly turn their direction. He swallowed the piece of cake in his mouth, making sure to look everywhere but her direction.

When everyone was done the Dark Lord ordered the doors to the salon to be opened and the guests entered, continuing their discussions from before.

The Dark Lord quickly disappeared out of the room together with Snape and Draco's father, leaving him alone. His mother had deserted his side just as soon as the Dark Lord had left, fighting for a spot in the circle around _her_.

The girl looked rather uncomfortable, and listening to the conversation the women we're holding he quickly realized why. He was just about to think his mother, at least, would not lower herself so low as to try and suggest the Dark Lord's daughter might find his company pleasurable - when she did.

Mortified, he quickly turned his back to the crowd and scanned the room, determined not to stand alone all night since his father had yet to return. Unfortunately for him, the only company in the room that wasn't interested in arranged marriage was a group of already married old men talking loudly in the other end of the room. He couldn't help but wonder why he would have been the only under forty year-old invited to this party.

* * *

The Dark Lord was leaning back in his chair in his office. Tonight wasn't a night just for celebration, he also had some work to do. He looked at the two men, a quiet Severus - no doubt not wording his opinion about the Dark Lord's newest plan, and a rather pale Lucius - if it was possible to go even paler that is. He looked like he could drop dead any moment.

"Call him." The Dark Lord demanded, wishing to get this over with as soon as possible so he could save his daughter from the scheming women. A little while later a younger version of Lucius appeared at the door and bowed.

"My Lord, you've requested my presence?"

"You have been assigned a new task, Draco. It's of an uttermost importance and I expect you to do your very best." Draco noticed the presence of his father and godfather in the room, both looking dead serious.

"Starting next semester, my daughter will attend Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unlike in her previous school, she will no longer go under a false name nor will she be glamoured. She will, however, have a guard. All necessary things have been taken care of and I trust my daughter's safety into your hands."

"My Lord!"

"Quiet, Draco!" His father firmly told him, not giving him a chance to decline the offer. Not that it was an offer, and he was in no position to say no to the Dark Lord.


	4. 117 rules

"You may leave" the Dark Lord said, looking at the two other men in the room, who immediately disappeared out the door, before he walked over to his desk and sat down.

"Sit." He ordered, and Draco did as he was told and sat down, wondering if he was the first one ever to do so.

"I've thought about my decision carefully, so there is no need to convince me I am mistaken. Eliana will be placed in Slytherin, no doubt, and the maze of dungeons is still fresh in your memory, in case of an emergency, unlike with the others. Your talented in nonverbal spells and think quickly, I'm sure my daughter will be safe with you." The Dark Lord got up from his chair and started wandering aimlessly around the room, praising Draco further.

"The scroll," a scroll suddenly dropped into Draco's lap, "contains a list of rules, for your convenience I suggest you learn them by heart." A moment of silence fell upon the room and Draco took this as a chance to skim trough the list.

"Don't do her homework?" He read out loud, sounding incredulous.

" You are _not t_o do her homework, no matter what she tells you." The Dark Lord said as he moved back to his desk and sat down in his chair.

"Don't make her angry? Make sure she eats three proper meals a day?" With every rule he read Draco started to wonder if the Dark Lord had two daughters instead of one. The girl at dinner didn't seem to need such childish rules.

"I will not take responsibility for what might happen to you if you upset her. Also, keep her away from other students, teachers and valuable items while she is in a state of anger." Draco swallowed loudly, suddenly worried about what kind of a monster he would be forced to baby-sit.

"You will report to me by owl every evening, unless I decide some other arrangement will be more suitable, your reports are confidential and she has no access to them so I demand you're not only truthful but include _all_ truths. I know she has a way of convincing her guards some matters don't need to be reported, but _everything _is to be reported." The Dark Lord took a short break before continuing, eying Draco with a serious look.

"Rule 117 is to be followed at all times." Draco threw a quick look at the scroll in his hands.

"My Lord, what is the definition of close?" He looked up from the scroll wondering if the rule might not be a slight exaggeration.

"I'll leave you to be the judge of that, however, I don't want any _slime balls_ running after my daughter. Be discreet but take care of any problems." The Dark Lord threw a look at the clock on the mantle only to realize he had left his daughter on the mercy of those mothers for far too long.

"She will be waiting for you at the platform, don't be late." And with that the Dark Lord got up and left a slightly bewildered Draco Malfoy behind.

* * *

Eliana was more than relieved when her father reappeared after what seemed to be an eternity. The women quickly pulled back with the usual polite bow and went back to their husbands.

"You're late." She told her father in parseltongue, not wanting to make a scene.

"I'm sorry darling, I got caught up." A round, partially bald man, together with his wife, neared them then, no doubt trying to suck up to the Dark Lord, like they all always did. Eliana felt like groaning when she realized the woman had a son who was "very handsome and around her age". Eliana made it blatantly clear to the them she was not interested in the conversation by looking around the room, studying the various people and ignoring the couple completely.

Her eyes fell on the back of a young man with blond hair who had entered the room after her father and she recognized him as Draco Malfoy, her new guard. She looked away while a small smile formed on her lips as she remembered the look on his face as she had blown her cover. She would make sure to rub it into his face some day.

Draco Malfoy… They would have a lot of fun together, well – she would.

"May I be excused?" She interrupted the man speaking rather rudely but at least she had been kind enough to speak parseltongue, like she did most of the time with her father.

"Yes. And try not to interrupt, it's very impolite." Her father hissed back before signaling for the man to continue.

The people who noticed her leaving, which turned out to be everyone in the end, all bowed deeply as she walked by and out the grand double doors.

As she walked up the stairs and along the rail she threw one last look into the salon trough the still open doors, only to lock eyes with the blond. He looked away as soon as he had been caught looking at her, covering up a rather familiar looking scroll in his hands.

So that's what her father had been doing while she had been left alone with the vultures, giving a lecture about "don't help with homework" and similar rules.

A rather evil smirk, very much like the one of her father's, played on her lips as she entered her quarters and was greeted by a sleepy Nagini.

"Well see how long you will last, _blondie_."

* * *

A/N: Before anybody starts; _yes_, I know this is a _really_ short chapter. If it's any consolation at all I do have another one ready and waiting, I just thought I would tease ya'll since I have the power to do it (for once). JK. I'll post it, soon :P And it's longer, and should make up for this chapter. And I was kindly made aware of the fact that even after proofreading chapters three to four times I still seem to miss some stuff - I'm sorry, I'll work on it ^_^


	5. Basil

Platform 9 and ¾ was packed with students and their parents as Eliana arrived at a quarter to eleven, followed by a man pushing her cart. It contained a pile of luggage, topped with an owl cage and a small white box next to it.

The box contained a present from her father, which she had received last night, and had already become very dear to her. Of course she knew it was meant merely as a distraction, to keep her mind off the fact that unlike every other student there - her father was not here to send his daughter off for school. He had a million reasons not to, a million excuses to why he couldn't. He was the Dark Lord; of course she knew he didn't have time for such childish things as taking his daughter to Kings Cross station. Yet she couldn't help but feel a little jealous towards all the other students.

"I'll take it from here, Anderson" She heard an unfamiliar voice say and spun around just in time to see her luggage man bow and disappear into the crowd. A handful of people had witnessed his actions and she couldn't help but scowl. Way to go – if she wanted her cover to be blown.

"I took the liberty to reserve a compartment for you, my lady-" Her guard said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked at the blond, who was immaculately dressed in expensive black robes, standing next to her. Even his blond hair was combed with great precision.

"Quiet!" She hissed, as more and more people were turning their way, with curious looks on their faces. "Don't call me that in front of people." At least he wasn't stupid, his eyes quickly scanned the growing public and without a word he pulled out his wand and lifted her luggage with a spell.

"This way, please." He wisely left out the "my lady" part as they boarded the train and led the way to an empty compartment. He placed her luggage on the racks above the seats, next to his trunk, and closed the door behind Eliana as she walked in. A few students were still boarding the train, which was about to leave, and she watched parents wave to their children. Within seconds the train slowly started rolling out of King's Cross station, leaving London behind.

"Don't call me 'my lady', 'young miss' or anything like that when we're out in public. It attracts too much unwanted attention." She walked over to the window as she spoke and took a seat, looking at the scenery flashing by on the other side of the glass.

"Yes my lady, as you wish." The blond said, but he looked a little hesitant.

"My lady…"

"Mm?" She mumbled without bothering to look his way.

"If I may ask, what should I call my lady then?" Eliana looked at him, still standing there at the door to the compartment, looking like he was expecting her to cast the cruciatus curse for daring to ask her a question.

"If _necessary,_ you can use my name." Eliana answered, amused by his fear. They we're all like that; rigid and always terrified, thinking she was like her father. In reality she rather disliked that curse, she had her own ways of punishing – not that she liked doing it really, but sometimes she had no choise.

"The white box, next to the owl-" She hadn't even finished her sentence and Draco had already moved, taking the box down from the rack. He walked over to her, holding it delicately in his hands.

"Fast." She stated.

"I heard hissing earlier, my lady, I figured it must be my lady's pet." Rather than taking the box, she simply lifted the lid and pulled out a tiny, coiled up snake. Draco watched Eliana hiss something and the snake unwinded and seemed to relax a bit. Unsure if she needed the box further he was about to place it on the table in front of her.

"Don't need it."

"Yes, my lady." He returned the box back on the rack and moved back to standing next to the door, watching the students passing by as the hissing continued. No matter how he tried not to, he couldn't help but feel a little disgusted, he just hoped he kept the emotion from showing on his face. He had never liked how the Dark Lord and Nagini talked to each other during Death Eater meetings. It just seemed so…_unnatural_. People weren't supposed to be able to talk with snakes.

The little snake's name was Basil, short for Basilisk – not that he would ever live up to it. After all, not even Eliana could look one in the eye without turning to stone. Basil was a very nice snake, if somewhat shy – and he suffered from motion sickness. Apparating with him was out of the question, as her father had learned from experience, and even the Floo-network made him turn greener – if it was even possible – than before.

She'd spent last night looking trough her father's library in search for a spell to cure her little companion, feeling rather sorry for him. She would have liked to apparate straight to Hogwarts to keep the traveling to a minimum, but according to her father Basil had felt so sick and down after he had apparated with him it would be better to just take the train. And she had really wanted to take the train, to feel the excited atmosphere radiating from the others student's walking by-

She was annoyed as the blond once more interrupted her thoughts, unintentionally this time though. She realized he was still standing at the door, paying close attention to everything happening around them, as if expecting the worst to happen any moment. And he was attracting attention too, from all the students walking by.

"Could you sit, no need to attract unwanted attention? I doubt anyone else has a guard standing next to their door."

"Yes, my lady. I'm sorry." He backed up a step and was about to sit down, on the opposite side of the compartment from where she was sitting.

"Like that would attract any less attention. Here-" Eliana pointed at the seat opposite to hers, "it looks more natural." After a second of hesitation Draco moved to sit opposite her. The snake hissed right then, and if he hadn't known any better he would have sworn it looked curious...

Eliana hissed something back, looking quite amused, a smile playing on her lips and Draco felt his breath get caught. He'd never seen her smile before, only look satisfied, and the difference was breathtaking. Unfortunately her head snapped up right then, catching him ogling her shamelessly – he quickly looked away, horrified she had caught him.

"What?" She demanded in a cold tone.

"I'm sorry my Lady…It just looked like the snake just _laughed_." He said the first thing that came to his mind, looking for any excuse to his staring. The snake hissed, clearly in annoyance, surprising him further, and Eliana stroked its head.

"_It_ has a name, and it's Basil. And yes it laughed because _he_ thought I said something funny." Her guard looked like he was on the brim of asking her what had been so funny, but held his tongue. She wasn't about to ask the question for him, it was much more interesting to let him sit there – weighing the cons and pros before his curiosity would win anyway. Eventually he did lose the fight against his better judgment – as expected.

"May I ask, what was so amusing, my Lady."

"Oh, Basil was simply curious about who you are and what your name is." Of course her answer only led to a new question, but he didn't have to contemplate for as long this time. He was curious about what she had said since the snake had laughed.

"And what was your answer, my Lady?"

"That you are my guard. And your name is Blondie." The snake hissed again, even though it was probably a laugh, as Eliana said the last part.

"_Blondie_?" Draco exclaimed, mortified over his new nickname. Eliana didn't seem to be able to take anymore as she broke out into laughter. Whatever feeling Draco had had about the outrageous nickname before it disappeared as soon as he witnessed the extraordinary event – it sounded like music to his ears.

Eventually the laugh died out, but the smile remained on her lips as her attention once again turned towards the green landscape outside the window. Draco continued to study her face, taking advantage of the situation.

Her hair glistened in the sunlight, and her long eyelashes threw shadows on pale skin. Draco's favorite part was her big eyes though, with an unusual hue of hazel that made his heart skip a beat every time he looked into them. Her lips were slightly parted and the beautiful color of pink roses, and their shape was full and without a doubt soft. The sudden desire of kissing them popped into his head and he quickly lowered his eyes, locking eyes with at the snake in her lap. Draco felt something resembling ice shoot trough his body. Basil, on the other hand, looked at him curiously from behind the folds in Eliana's skirt, where he had hidden himself. He looked contemplating, then his eyes lit up and he disappeared under the hem of her lady's white shirt. Draco watched her stiffen visibly and a rosy blush spread on her cheeks. The snake quickly reappeared on her shoulder.

This time he was quicker, expecting her reaction, and Draco had already looked away by the time her eyes darted his direction – he pretended he had missed the whole thing. From the corner of his eye he could see the little snake clearly being scolded by his owner.

She did let him speak, once she was finished a good five minutes later, and another blush seemed to spread on her cheeks then. Draco didn't have to speak parseltongue to know what the snake had told her, and Draco's heart was beating so fast it was rather painful. He scolded himself for dropping his guards, letting himself get mesmerized by Eliana's beauty. How could he have forgotten the snake?

She threw another look in his direction but didn't say anything. He felt rather sick and nervous then; there were only to reasons why she wouldn't scold him right now. One possibility, and Draco really hoped it was this one, was that she rather forget all about it. Or then the other, and he feared it was this one, she was waiting to tell her father about it - in which case Draco would surely be tortured to say the very least.

* * *

A/N: Hi! So I uploaded a new chapter (as you can see). Christmas break started today, and since I'd rather write fanfiction than study for my exams I'm sure I will update soon, yay! Either that or start a second story... Haven't decided yet ^^ Hope you liked.

P.S. thanks for all the great reviews i keep getting, they always make me so happy and the more I get the sooner I want to update (get the hint? jk), can you spell review addiction?


	6. The Sorting hat

The rest of the journey was spent in silence that was only occasionally interrupted by the laughter and chatting of other students walking by. Eventually Eliana slipped into a light slumber, her head leaning against the wall next to her. She didn't wake up until the train slowly rolled to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. She blinked sleepily as students started pouring out from the train and onto the platform.

"If my lady is ready…"

She turned her head towards the direction of the sound and saw her guard standing at the door, ready to go. They must have been one of the last ones on the train judging by the lack of footsteps outside their compartment.

Blondie, she quite liked the nickname, led her towards a carriages pulled by a rather disgusting looking creatures. Nobody seemed to mind it though, as some students were getting on the carriages without throwing the creatures a second look.

"Another carriage has been arranged, my lady, it will be here in a moment" The blond said.

"By whom?" Being so close to a normal school year but not being able to socialize with the other students was becoming more irritating by the minute, these _precations_ had to come to an end!

"The Dark Lord, my lady. I'm just following orders." Eliana sighed loudly, making a mental note to let her father hear about this. Did he really think this wouldn't stand out at all?

The sound of a carriage being pulled grew louder and soon another carriage stopped in front of them. Her guard offered her a hand as she climbed up the steps but she ignored it in her irritated state and sat down without a word. The creature, which she now recognized to be a thestral, no wonder nobody minded it then, started pulling the carriage trough the dark woods.

"What else has my father 'arranged'?" Her voice was perhaps a bit too harsh, after all – it wasn't Blondie's fault her father was so over protective, but she refused to acknowledge the sting of bad conscience in her chest.

"Private sleeping quarters, constant supervision and a Floo-network connected to my lady's fireplace. Among other things…"

"Unbelievable. I could as well be home schooled!" She scowled at her guard who seemed lost for words and looked a little scared. Well she sure _felt_ like torturing someone so it wasn't entirely irrational. But the one she really should be torturing was her father.

The carriage came to a halt behind a long row of other carriages and Eliana got off, admiring the grandeur of Hogwarts castle. Of course she had seen pictures of it and listened to numerous stories her mother had told her, but it was nothing compared to the real thing.

As she walked in trough a set of wide marble doors a woman immediately appeared by her side startling her guard, he'd even been to slow to draw his wand.

"Will you relax? It's not as if I'm going to get killed!" She whispered to him, wanting to avoid a scene like the one at King's Cross station earlier that day. A very few students in the hall had noticed anything at all, since everybody was too busy catching up after the winter break.

"Yes, my-" A stern look silenced Draco who settled for a nod instead and pressed his lips together into a thin line. He threw a suspicious look at the teacher next to Eliana, who had watched the whole thing with a growing curiosity.

"Miss Winther, I will take you to the headmaster's office for an informal Sorting ceremony. The teacher signaled for her to follow as she started walking up a flight of stairs. She quickly paused though, as she saw Draco following them.

"Miss Winther won't leave my sight, professor." The blond said, before the teacher had even voiced her thoughts.

A blush rose to Eliana's cheeks as she heard Blondie say her last name and an unknown feeling spread trough her body. Hopefully she could pass off the blush for embarrassment. Basil's words in the train echoed trough her head as the three once again continued walking and the blush grew even stronger.

Eliana slid a hand into her pocket, her fingers finding her little companion who hissed happily as she stroked his head. She couldn't help but smile; snakes had such a soft spot.

The trio stopped in front of a gargoyle, which was guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office. The professor, that hadn't even bothered to introduce herself, muttered a password and soon a spiral staircase appeared.

"I will see you later miss Winther, Mr. Malfoy." And with that the professor turned and walked back towards the entrance hall.

The steps were small and narrow, and many, as Eliana started climbing them. At the top was a wooden door which looked old and heavy, perhaps even as old as the castle itself. She was just about to reach out and open it when the door swung open by itself and revealed an office with walls covered in books.

As she stepped inside Eliana marveled at the numerous portraits, all former headmasters, covering the many walls. The portraits noticed her presence before the headmaster, who was busy reading a long roll of parchment.

"Well, if it isn't Tom Riddle's daughter." A portrait of a man with a long white beard spoke, and the headmasters head snapped up.

"And you must be Dumbledore." Eliana said as she walked towards the portrait, stopping a few feet from it.

"I must say, I would have never guessed Tom would father a child. You seem to take after your mother, a brilliant student she was." The old man said and smiled.

"I guess I do, a little." She answered evasively, not too happy the old man had brought up her family tree. It was something nobody ever talked about, either because they didn't know or refused to talk about it.

"Enough." The headmaster said as he stood up and pulled out his wand.

"No need to do that, Severus, I will keep quiet." The portrait said and laughed quietly, not wanting to be put to sleep. He was actually rather curious to see into which house she would be placed.

"Draco get the sorting hat." Professor Snape said as he walked around his desk. He bowed to Eliana before he continued.

"I hope the journey was pleasant, my lady?"

"Yes, thank you. But quite long." The man didn't seem to register her answer as he continued.

"Of course there was the possibility of Apparaiting into Hogsmeade or using the Floo-network, it would have been much quicker and easier but your father changed the plans rather suddenly." Eliana was amused by the obvious surly tone.

"I'm sorry about the inconvenience, sir. But the Floo network or Apparaiting is out of the question because of Basil." The headmaster seemed even more annoyed but bit his tongue instead of saying anything else.

Her guard appeared then, a little dusty, with an old hat – a talking old hat. A chair appeared behind Eliana, no doubt the headmasters doing, and she sat down without being asked as Draco handed him the hat.

"Don't I even get to sing the song?" The hat asked, sounding rather sad.

"Oh, let him sing the song first!" Eliana exclaimed as the hat hovered above her head. The portraits around her all seemed to cheer up and a chair appeared opposite Eliana and the headmaster placed the hat on it. She threw a look at the man dressed in black robes who was walking back to sitting behind his desk, reaching for his quill – he had more important things to do than watch after the Dark Lord's spoiled daughter.

The sorting hat hawed noisily, making the portraits smile in anticipation for what was to come and began singing its song. Whether it was a new one or an old Eliana didn't know, but she watched it with an beaming smile, unconsciously leaning forward. As the song ended the room echoed with applause and the hat bowed happily.

"_Now_ I can sort her into a house." It said, more than happy. Snape rose from his seat and walked over to the chair, lifting the hat. Barely had the hat touched her head before it started musing.

"_Hm… A brilliant mind, like your mothers. And powerful, like your father. Hm…_"

Around her, the portraits were bidding on the hat's choice of house, while the headmaster look uninterested and impatient.

"_Rawenclaw would be fitting for your mind-_" A jolt of panic spread trough Eliana as she heard the words inside her head.

"_But Slytherin runs trough your veins, too…_"

"_Slytherin. I'm a Slytherin._"

"_A Slytherin you say… But there is also Rawenclaw. Imagine all those secrets revealed-_"

"_I _have_ to be a Slytherin, there is no other option._"

'"_Your father had no option, neither did your mother. Prime examples of their house they were. But you on the other hand…_" Eliana felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. The hat was close to choosing, she could tell, but it was leaning the wrong way."

"_I've never been wrong, just unsure. But choosing Slytherin would mark you for good._"

"_I'm a Slytherin, I know it! I'm not my mother's daughter._"

"_If you insist._"

Eliana breathed out a breath of relief as the word "Slytherin" echoed in the office. The portraits applauded as the hat was being lifted off her head.

"_Just remember you are a child of two not one._" The hat returned to it's normal cheerful self as the connection was lost, leaving Eliana slightly bewildered but greatly relieved.

"Draco, return it." The headmaster ordered and moved the vacant chair to it's place, indicating for Eliana to rise from hers. It vanished before she had even straightened her legs.

"Now that this _unnecessary_ ceremony has been held in its entirety," Snape was no doubt referring to the song "I will lead you to your chamber."

Without waiting he started walking out the room and down the steps and Eliana followed close behind him. She noticed the halls of the castle were empty and guessed the other students were still enjoying their dinner and meeting up with friends.

Hurried steps behind her made Eliana turn her head and she saw her guard half running behind them, with a scowl on his face. Some strands of hair had gotten out of place while he had been running after them and he brushed them out of his eyes frustratingly as his steps slowed down.

As Eliana returned her attention to her surroundings she noticed they were already at the dungeons. Without stopping the headmaster uttered the word "Salazar" confident in no one being there. A passage appeared behind a wall, and as they entered the common room they found it empty.

"Not very creative, is it." Eliana spoke, earning nothing but a scowl from the headmaster but she was sure she heard a muffled chuckle from behind her.

Eliana had barely any time to take in her surroundings and the cold aura the common room emitted as Snape didn't slow down his steps at all.

He stopped in front of a bookcase in a remote corner of the room and tapped a book on the shelf three times with his wand. The bookcase swung open like a door and more steps leading down could be seen.

As the three descended in silence Eliana found herself in a rather gloomy room with two doors and a window, they were directly under the lake judging by the fish swimming by.

"Your bed chamber is to the left, my lady. It has a Floo-network connection to the Dark Lord's castle. This whole floor has been protected by strong wards and only three wands can unlock the door leading here. I have been told no visitors can enter in here, if my lady isn't pleased with the decision I suggest she speaks to her father." And with that he turned on his heel and walked back up the stairs and out of view leaving the other two in a rather familiar silence.

"Has my stuff been brought here?" Eliana asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes my lady, and the house elves have also served dinner in my lady's chamber."

"My schedule, for tomorrow?"

The blond pulled out some folded parchment from his pocket and handed it to her, not needing it since he memorized it already.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." The heavy door swung open as she neared it, revealing a warm room the exact opposite of the common room. She was happy she wouldn't be sharing the next few months with ancient bookshelves and skulls, it just felt so _gloomy_.

Her trunk had been placed at the end of her bed and a cracking fire had been lit in the fireplace. In front of it the house elves had set a table for one.

A hiss from her pocket caught her attention and she pulled out Basil who had smelled the delicious food and become hungry.

"No mice?" He hissed, looking disappointed.

"Not on my table. Go hunt some rats."

"But…they're too big." Looking at the small, barely five-inch snake in her hand Eliana had to bite her lip in order to keep from laughing. Rats were obviously out of the question, but she wasn't even sure he could catch a mouse, let alone eat one.

"A mouse for dinner?"

"Yes please."

With the wave of her wand a mouse appeared on a plate, on the floor far from her dinning table.

"Thank you my lady" Basil hissed happily, waiting for her to set him down on the floor. He slithered away at full speed as she did so, ready to attack his dead dinner.

"Just eat it quietly, it's disgusting." She was sure the snake would have corrected her with delicious if it didn't have it's mouth full already. "And next time you'll have to hunt your dinner."

* * *

Draco lingered in the bare room for another second as Eliana disapeared into her bed chamber before he followed her example and retreated to his own. He was to report to the Dark Lord and wasted no time with starting to write his report. The food, set on a table just like Eliana's, remained untouched for two hours until Draco folded the report and called a house elf. He didn't feel like bumping into students in the common room before they even knew he was here and he was confident the house elf would follow his exact orders and take it to his owl.

As the elf disappeared with a "pop" he sat walked to the table, glad to finally be able to eat. The stressful day had taken a toll on him and he was sure the Dark Lord's daughter was unaware of exactly how many people would like to see her dead - if they knew about her existence. But leaks happened everywhere, even in the most guarded circles, and it would be his head, among with the rest of his family's, if he failed to protect her.

He slid a hand trough his hair as he leaned back in his chair, messing it up completely. He hated this job, hated that he had to babysit the Dark Lord's daughter. Hated the confusing thoughts inside his head. And most of all he hated-

Another "pop" interrupted his thoughts as the same house elf appeared, holding a letter in his hand. With a sigh Draco accepted it, not too happy that the Dark Lord had answered so fast. He had been hoping to go to bed soon and get a good nights rest. But the letter was short, and didn't require an answer.

* * *

A/N: Consider this chapter an early Christmas gift from me, I've worked on it all day :P Actually ya'll should probably thank mrs0cullen for her cute review, it made me want to update as soon as possible.

P.S. I'm not saying other people's reviews don't want to make me update. I love all the reviews I get, even if they might be short – they still make my day. And I try to answer to everybody, so if you don't get an answer; I'm sorry, I must have missed that particular review :'(


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